The U.S. Postal Service has been in the doldrums for years, as it continues to bleed money. The days of door-to-door mail delivery is slowly becoming a thing of the past, so the government ran carrier is looking for different alternatives. USPS is said to be testing a mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) system to cut waiting times in its customer lines.
If you’re like many people out there who have to hit up the post office, then you know waiting in line at an understaffed office is a dreadful experience — putting mPOS technology in place is the right move.
The way this will work is an employee of the post office will cater to customers while they wait in line, using a modified iPod Touch and portable printer for transactions. The new system will “scan and accept prepaid packages, scan package pickups as delivered, or sell stamps, ReadyPost and other retail products.” U.S. Postal Mail flat-rate postage is also a go with the mPOS system.
We’re not sure when this will roll out to post office locations nationwide, but the fact that USPS is trying to make shipping cheaper, easier, and more enjoyable can only bring a less grimmer future.
[Postal News; via Gizmodo]